Curtain fixture



D. HOYT.

CURTAIN FIXTURE.

Feb. 6, 1923.

FILED MAY 29, I922.

:It'll/144 7131111113 Feh. 6, 19239 DANIEL I-IOYT, OF 'EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY,

ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL LOCK 'VVASHER COMPANY, 'OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION NEVT J-nnsnY.

Application filed 29,

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, DANIEL HoY'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at East (hange, county of Essex, and State of New 5 Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain Fixtures; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable- .lothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 7, u

p This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements incurtain fixtures, and more particularly is an improvement on the structure shown in my Letters Patent No.

(376,557, issued June 18, 1.901, and No. 1,335,-

986, issued April 6, 1920.

This invention relates more particularly t that class of curtain fixtures in which a spring tensioned roller is employed at the top ofathe curtain, so that there is a constant tendency to wind the curtain up, my im proved fixture being located at tne bottom of the curtain and operating in grooves formed on the window frame to hold the curtain against the tension of the roller.

This invention has for its object to provide a curtain fixture which will hold the curtain against the pull of the roller but 3 which will permit the curtain to be drawn down practically without resistance and without manipulation of any parts whatever, it being an important feature of this invention that the holding of the curtain against 3 the tension of the :roller is effected partly by cam and partly by spring action.

Another object of the invention is to limit the downward movement of the cams so that when the fixture is tilted in an oblique posi- 40 tion the holding of the cams and spring is released from the window frame, so that the curtain may be readily raised and will thereafter automatically assume its normal position.

The accompanying drawing is a front elevation partly broken away and in section of a window equipped with a curtain fixture constructed in accordance with the present invention.

1 is an elongated tube which is secured within the bottom of the curtain 2, and 3 is the usual spring roller around which the curtain is wound at the top and which always exerts a tendency to wind the curtain.

4 are threaded sleeves secured to the ends CURTAIN FIXTURE.

1922. Serial No. 564,4'78f of the tube, and to the outer ends of these 'sleeyes are secured channeled heads '5.

Since duplicate parts are enclosed by the tube for cooperation -withthe two heads 5 and elements carried therein, only one set of these parts has been shown and will be described,

A rod 6 is located within the tube in each half thereof, the inner ends of each rod being threaded within sockets 7, to the adjacent ends of which latter are secured finger pieces 8, and to each rod, at the outer portion thereof, is secured a collar 9, while the inner portion of each of the rods passes freely through a loose collar 10 which latter abuts studs 11 fastened'to the tube.

Around each rod is a coil spring 12 whose extremities are confined between the collars 9 and 10.

Journaled within the extremities of the heads 5 are rollers 13, and pivoted at 16 within these heads near their lower extremities are cams 14 which have large circular bearing faces 15 at their outer surfaces.

Projecting rearwardly from each of these cams at or about their central portions is a lug 17 which is pivoted to the outer extremity of the adjacent rod 6.

The pivotal point 16 of each of the cams is located below the rods and in an oblique line with the bearing surfaces 15 while the upper andlower extremities of each cam are formed into stops 18and '19 respectively.

The heads 5 are housed in the window casing within tracking grooves 21, and the surfaces 15 of the cams are always normally in contact with the bottoms of these grooves, while the rollers 18 are always normally spaced from the bottoms of the grooves.

From the above it will be readily understood that these cams are of a gravity nature which means that the surfaces 15 will by gravity always contact the floors of the grooves 21, but since the rods 6 are pivotally connected to the cams and are always urged outwardly by the springs 12, the contact between the surfaces 15 and the floors of the grooves is thereby rendered more forceful so that there can be no rattling of the cams against the window casing which might otherwise happen if the spring pressure were not applied.

When the faces 15 are in contact with the floors of the grooves the lower stops 19 will be in abutment with the heads 5, SO that it will be clear that the cams cannot bite too deeply against the grooves but can only exert a predetermined pressure, and this is an important feature of the invention, since attempts are frequently made to raise a curtain by pressure from the bottim, instead of pinching together the finger pieces 8, and if the cams had a tendency to bite to deeply the floors of the grooves, if made of wood, would readily become scored, or, if such floors be of metal, the cams will become flattened, so as to require, in either instance, readjustment of the entire fixture.

Ii concavo-convex plate 22 is secured to the central portion of the tube 1 by means of screws 23, and this plate is provided with openings 24 (only one shown) through which the linger pieces 8 extend.

What is claimed is 1. A curtain fixture, comprisingfla tube secured within the bottom of the curtain, channeled. heads rigidly secured to the ends of the tube and having friction rolls journaled within their extremities, spring actuated rods within the tube, and cams pivoted near their lower ends within said heads and having rearwardly extending lugs that are pivoted to said rods, said cams having large circular faces which normally contact the tracking groove of the window casing.

2. A curtain fixture according to claim 1, in which the pivotal point of each cam is below'and rearward of the circular contact face, while the lower extremity of each cam acts as a stop in abutment against the head to prevent undue pressure of the contact faces of the cams against the tracking grooves.

3. In a curtain fixture, the combination with a window casing having tracking grooves at each side, of a curtain suspended from an automatically actuated spring roller, an elongated tube secured within the bottom of said curtain, channeled heads sestantly urging said rods outwardly, cams in each head having large circular contact faces which merge into tail extensions that act as stops, means for pivoting the cams within said heads, in a plane below said rods and near the ends of the lower tail ex tensions, and lugs extending rearwardly from said cams opposite said faces and pivotally connected to the outer ends of said rods, whereby said faces will normally be in contact with the bottoms of said grooves.

i. A curtain fixture comprising a tube secured within the bottom of the curtain, the ends of which tube are screw threaded, channeled heads having screw threaded shanks which are driven on the threaded ends of said tube whereby said heads are held rigid with the tube, a cam pivoted in each head at a point below the tube and having a circular bearing face on line with the tube each cam adapted to rock to bring its bearing face in and out of theheads, a projection on each cam below its pivot adapted to contact the head to limit the outward movement of the bearing face, a lug extending rearwardly from each cam, rods pivoted tosaid lugs and extending into the tube to a point near the middle thereof, springs on the rods tending to force the cams outward, and finger pieces at the inner ends of the rods whereby the latter may be operated toretract the cams.

In testimony whereof IatfiX-my signature hereto.

DANIEL HOYT. 

